Grendel vs. Beowulf

Summary: An analytical comparison of the epic poem Beowulf and John Gardner's Grendel. Specifically discusses characters and character symbolism.

The Webster Dictionary defines a murderer as "one who commits the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought." Serial killers are murderers with a minimum of three or four victims. These mass murderers are usually white males from a lower to middle class upbringing. Many serial killers are victims of emotional or physical abuse and faced lives of rejection of their families and peers. They, in effect, turn to lives of revenge on the world. Had these men been treated respectfully and equally, perhaps they might have lived up to their potential as successful professionals. The hypothetical praised men may be a parallel to the title character of the epic poem Beowulf, while the actual disregarded serial killers connect to the protagonist of John Gardner's Grendel. Throughout the two works, the narrators develop figures of underlying meaning for each title character, intense characterization of...